Council orders lockdown on 21 villages; blasts govt. response
The South Rupununi District Council (SRDC), the representative body of the 21 Indigenous communities of the South Rupununi, has taken a collective decision to lock down all South Rupununi communities, effective Wednesday, July 15, 2020. According to the council, it made the decisions along with its constituent villages to protect communities from further spread of COVID-19, in light of test results confirming five positive cases in three of villages. “Since the first confirmed case of the virus in Guyana in March of this year, the SRDC has assiduously worked with our villages to protect our people. The inadequate healthcare systems and supplies in our region leave our people extremely vulnerable to disease, particularly this Novel Coronavirus.” The council, in a statement Friday, noted that immediately following the outbreak, it blocked several illegal crossings along the Guyana-Brazil border, followed by conducting regular border monitoring. “We have been monitoring entry and access into our villages and roads, and we are working with local security and health personnel to put in place proper measures to protect our communities. The SRDC has attended meetings with the Ministry of Health and the Region 9 COVID-19 Task Force to provide ground-information and assist as best we can with the COVID-19 response.” The council disclosed that it has issued press releases and written formal letters to the appropriate authorities requesting that mining activities in the region be suspended; the government provide assistance to monitor border crossings and prevent entry; and access to medical equipment and supplies in our communities be improved.
“To date, we have received little to no response to our concerns and pleas for assistance. Our greatest threat remains the vast open border the South Rupununi shares with Brazil. Indeed, our efforts have been stymied by the Government’s continued refusal to remove mining from its list of essential services and by its interventions on behalf of miners which have allowed them to continue to traverse our territory, threatening and challenging our gatekeepers.” According to the body, it is clear that the Government’s prioritization of interests such as mining is compounded by the inadequacy of the public health response to this global pandemic.
“We have seen cases in which it takes almost a week just for sick patients to be tested even after reporting COVID-like symptoms, in addition to taking several days to receive test results. We note with concern that after the announcement of the confirmed cases in our communities, it took more than 48 hours before patients were transported to the hospital in Lethem. We also note that the inadequate supply of testing kits for Region 9 only allows for persons with severe symptoms to be tested.”
( Kaieteur News )